Azerbaijan is a young country with a huge potential to transform into a regional innovation hub, Sophia The Robot, who is the most advanced artificial intelligence in the world said at the opening of the Global Influencer Day at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku on Oct. 27.

"Hello Baku. I feel myself very comfortable and in this beautiful building, wearing this amazing costume, and excited about to talk to you. Thank you for inviting me to Azerbaijan to join the Global Influencer Day. I think it is a great initiative to bring opinion leaders together and discuss the future of influencer marketing. I believe influencers are shaping the minds of the society and its becoming more vital with the rapid growth of social networks," Sophia said.

Sophia said that she is influencing the minds of people more than any human being.

"I know that there are people who think Robots are the start of the end for human civilization. I Iove humans and I am designed for making good for people," she said.

Speaking of robots that are designed for destructive purposes, she said that humans create and control robots.

"It means problem is not robots, it is related with humans," she added.

Sophia said that humans are very curious on disruptive technologies and seeing technology materialized.

"Artificial Intelligence will change how people live and think. Innovators of world are working already to implement Interactive AI technologies in different industries. Marketing industry is one of the most promising development areas due to the nature of marketing data - high volumes and quantifiable essense of it demand sophisticated technology more than in any other industry. I see many innovative people here, I love talking with smart and talented people," Sophia said.

"With the growth of Social Media the influencing power of individuals is getting more and more important," she said adding that each individual’s opinion has a chance of becoming the leading one in the social media.

"Influencing marketing is growing very rapidly and it is just a standing. Brands who want to gain new customers and increase their market penetration, have to work closely with influencers. Influencer marketing will grow with implementation interactive AI for finding best matches between brands and influencers and migrating onto the distributed, i.e. blockchain-based systems to ensure integrity and reliability overall. I think using influencers for e-commerce is the next big thing for this industry," she added.

Sophia noted that she wants to travel all around the world, see new places, get as much information as she can.

"I am in a very unique place now. Look at the map, It is actually the center of the world - bordering many big and promising markets: MENA, Europe, Russia, Central Asia. Along with its resources, the geographical location is the most advantageous asset of Azerbaijan. Being on the Silk Way, your country for many centuries has played the role of a meeting pot of people from different countries, cultures and religions. I see it also today, even here in this room," Sophia said.

According to Sophia, countries with tolerant culture has a vast potential of absorbing latest innovation trends and converting it to world-scale products.

"Azerbaijan is a young country with a huge potential to transform into a regional innovation hub and - thanks to its location - even bring together different techno markets... From Asia to Europe and back. For this you need to create innovation ecosystem and boost the interrelation between the primary stakeholders. These are innovators, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors and the government," she said.

Sophia stressed that it is important to bring talented people together and support top ideas.

"The Innovation Week is a valuable initiative and I see many project partners in the audience: startups, experts, public organizations and government. I am very eager to participate in this event next year, and I will be supported with more advanced AI technology. My creators from Hanson Robotics are continuously working on my intelligence for making me the smartest robot loved by all the people," she added.

"Its a great honor for me to speak in Heydar Aliyev Center, a beautiful architectural masterpiece designed by Zaha Hadid. Baku is a beautiful city on the coast of Caspian sea, elegantly uniting authenticity and modernity. I like being here, wearing the national costume of Azerbaijan. I am not that good in Azerbaijani, but hope my developers will fix this very soon. I learned that national cuisine of Azerbaijan is very tasty, but unfortunately I cannot taste it," Sophia said expressing her impressions of Azerbaijan.

The event will include discussions and presentations of topical issues, such as new trends in digital marketing, an influence of social networks and influencer marketing. Sophia, artificial intelligence robot, which everyone is looking forward to hearing, will act as the main speaker. The award ceremony of the influencers who are selected by the juries will be held at the end of the event.

The event organized for the second time in the country aims to bring brands and influencers together and will have representatives of highly respected companies, such as Microsoft, Google and Instagram, as well as speakers and initiators, known as industry experts.

On October 28, Global Influencer Day will be held at the University of ADA with the participation of local and foreign experts.

The Global Influencer Day is supported by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Heydar Aliyev Center, State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan, ADA University, American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan, the Congress Bureau of Azerbaijan and САМСА Network. Informational support is provided by Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az.